Trail Blazer

by Nicolette Dane

  “Hmm,” Piggy intoned.

  “I can’t believe we’re talking about this laying in hammocks in a dark shelter in the middle of nowhere,” Nova said through a laugh. “Gosh, it’s so crazy that we’re out here.”

  “It’s not that crazy,” said Piggy. “It’s fun, right?”

  “It’s fun,” Nova agreed. “Even though it was a difficult day and I’m tired and I’m sore, I feel really good. I feel like being out here is really good for me.”

  “I feel the same way,” Piggy said. “My feet are feeling a bit tingly now that we’re talking about it. But I’m so happy we did this, and I’m so happy you came with me.”

  “Oh yeah, I was so nervous at first,” said Nova. “But now that I’m in it, that’s all going away. I feel like I’m really doing something here.”

  In the middle of Nova’s words, a bobbling light flashed into the shelter and put both of them on edge. The light grew closer, and the girls kept silent as they awaited their new arrival. Soon enough, the light was shining inside the shelter, and when it illuminated them in their hammocks, it quickly was pointed down.

  “I’m sorry,” said a female voice. “I didn’t know anybody was in here.”

  “That’s all right,” said Piggy. “There’s room for another hammock if you want to come in.”

  “Great,” said the woman. They could hear her footsteps on the plank floor under her shoes. She then dropped her bag to the ground and began getting her things ready to store for the evening. It was much too dark to see her face.

  “I’m Piggy, by the way.”

  “Oh, hello Piggy,” said the woman. “I’m Quill.”

  “My name’s Nova,” Nova joined in.

  “Nova,” replied Quill. “It’s nice to meet you ladies. Give me a moment here while I sling up my hammock.”

  They gave Quill her space, and she made quick work of her tasks. When she removed her boots, they fell to the ground with a thud and Quill groaned as she pulled herself up into her hammock. She fussed around a bit to get situated and then ended her entire production with a satisfied sigh.

  “What a day,” Quill spoke eventually into the dark. “Rainy, huh?”

  “Very,” agreed Piggy.

  “You never really get used to the rain and soggy socks,” said Quill. “At least, I don’t. Are you ladies doing the AT?”

  “The entire Appalachian Trail?” Piggy clarified. “No, not this time. Just the 100 Mile Wilderness.”

  “Well, the 100MW is no just,” Quill countered. “It’s rough.”

  “Are you all alone?” Nova asked softly.

  “Yep,” said Quill. “Just me. I’m doing the whole shebang. I’m so close to finished and I can’t tell if I’m ready for it, or I’m sad that it’s ending.”

  “Wow,” Nova mused. “You’re hiking the entire Appalachian Trail by yourself? How?”

  “Force of will, I guess,” Quill said with a laugh. “Also, I’m sort of getting paid to do it. I’m a travel writer and I’m working on a guide.”

  “Ah,” said Piggy. “That’s pretty cool. Is that why you’re called Quill?”

  “Bingo,” said Quill.

  “Have you done this before?” Nova questioned. “This hike? The AT?”

  “I have,” Quill replied. “This is my second time. The first time was a few years ago with a group of friends.”

  “Do you miss being with friends?” asked Piggy.

  “Yes and no,” said Quill. “I do miss my friends, but you meet so many great people out on the trail, you’re bound to hook up with groups for stretches. So I haven’t hiked the whole thing solo.”

  “You sound pretty badass,” Nova mused, giving Quill a laugh.

  “Thanks Nova,” she replied. “I guess I am pretty badass. I’d say you girls are badass, as well. Anyone who commits to something like this is badass in my book.”

  “We’re planning to have a big day tomorrow,” said Piggy. “Sixteen or seventeen miles. Maybe we could all hike together?”

  “I could join you ladies for some in the morning, but I’ll have to pick up eventually to hit my pace,” said Quill. “I’m shooting for at least twenty tomorrow. My plan is to get to the East Branch Shelter by ten or so. I’ve got to do these hundred miles in five days at most. Hopefully four. I’m not hauling enough food to go much longer than that.”

  “Okay,” said Piggy. “Cool.”

  “Cool stuff,” Quill replied. “All right, I’m going to pass out. We’ll chat more in the morning. Goodnight Piggy, goodnight Nova.”

  “Goodnight Quill,” both girls said together.

  Then they were all quiet until, just a few minutes later, Quill began to lightly snore. But her snoring wasn’t disruptive. It actually felt comforting.

  “Goodnight, Nova,” Piggy said tenderly through their new roommate’s nasally breathing. “I love you.”

  “I love you, Piggy,” Nova shared. “Goodnight.”

  All three women got an early start the next day. And thanks to the morning light, Piggy and Nova got a first look at their new friend. Quill was older than them, probably somewhere in her fifties, with greying hair that she wore back in a bun. She was a rugged and tough looking woman, dressed in khaki shorts, a t-shirt, and a matching khaki vest. On her feet were thick leather hiking boots and high socks. Quill had a kind and beautiful face, aging gracefully thanks to her active lifestyle. She packed lightly, and would often remove a small notebook from her breast pocket to scribble a few thoughts down as they came to her.

  They ate a quick breakfast, packed their things, and hit the trail before eight. Piggy and Nova’s plan was to get over White Cap Mountain before dusk, though Quill was set on going further than that. But for their opening miles, Quill agreed to give them some company.

  “Have you written a lot of travel guides?” Piggy asked as the three of them walked in a group.

  “Oh sure,” said Quill. “I’ve done a bunch of work for One Planet, the travel guide publisher.”

  “Right,” Piggy replied with a nod. “I’m familiar with those.”

  “I mostly prefer to do write-ups on things that are out of the way, hidden gems, hard to get to,” said Quill. “Not so much restaurants or tourist attractions. My last big guide was about hiking the PCT.”

  “What’s the PCT?” Nova wondered.

  “Pacific Crest Trail,” Quill responded. “It’s the big one out west. Surely you’ve heard of it if you girls are up here doing this one.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Nova. “I know it. It was the abbreviation that got me.”

  “It’s over twenty-six hundred miles,” said Quill. “Takes five months to do. Longer than the AT. So after doing that guide, I decided to do this one next. That’s why I’m hiking it twice. Some people think I’m crazy to do it twice, but I wished I’d done the PCT twice and heck, I’ve got time.”

  “I think it’s incredible you’ve hiked so much,” said Piggy. “I wish I had the time and money to devote more of myself to it.”

  “Well, become a travel writer if you want to earn your living doing what you love,” Quill said with a short laugh. “But I don’t advise mirroring my life history if you want complete freedom of time.”

  “How did you find the time?” asked Piggy, though she wondered if she would regret her question based on Quill’s expression.

  “My husband died,” replied Quill. “Cancer, about sixteen years ago.”

  “I’m sorry,” Piggy mused solemnly.

  “It’s all right,” Quill said, waving her hand. “We went on a lot of adventures together. We even lived on a sailboat for a year. I like to think I’m carrying the torch, so to speak, by continuing my travels. I do think about him a lot, but I know he would be happy with how I carried on.”

  “I don’t mean to be insensitive,” said Nova. “But if you went on adventures a lot with him, how is it that you have more time for adventures now that he’s gone?”

  “It’s not insensitive,” Quill said. “When you’re in a relationshi
p, even if you’re doing this kind of thing together, there’s still a lot of compromise. When you’re a loner, you’re free to come and go as you please. Now, I’d trade it all if it meant having him back. But I’m a realist, I try not to live in the past, and I focus on moving into the future. One step at a time.”

  Nova nodded slowly.

  After going over the summit of Chairback Mountain, the women carefully navigated the scree and talus field on the other side of the slope. Broken rock fragments fallen from the mountain littered the landscape, making it tough to maneuver through in places. Quill advised taking it slow, and putting their hiking poles away in case they needed to use their hands to brace themselves as they descended. The girls followed her sage advice.

  Once the talus field ended, Quill informed them that the next stretch was a four mile descent that lead to Katahdin Iron Works Road, an old logging road that she knew to be about thirty miles into the 100 Mile Wilderness. She also let Piggy and Nova know that this was where they would depart.

  “It was nice meeting you gals,” said Quill with an easy smile. “Watch your ankles in those shoes you’ve got, and don’t forget to drink more water than you think you need. See you around!” Quill waved as they split, her gait growing in speed.

  “Goodbye!” they both called back, smiling as well.

  “Really cool lady,” Nova remarked.

  “Yeah,” agreed Piggy. “She seems tough as hell.”

  “Total badass,” said Nova.

  “Total badass,” Piggy repeated.

  Quill disappeared pretty quickly after that, as she was much more experienced than Piggy and Nova. But the girls kept on at a good clip, faster than their previous days, which was what they had to do if they wanted to reach Logan Brook by the end of the day. After Quill left, they didn’t see any other hikers on their path. It was quiet, but pleasant, and for some time they both just lived in their heads as they pushed further on the trail.

  Eventually, after passing the old logging road, they reached the Pleasant River, a rocky stream that they would have to ford. Standing on the west bank, eating trail mix as they watched over the current, they considered the best course of action.

  “I don’t want to get my shoes wet,” said Nova. “We should do it in sandals.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Piggy as she chewed on a mouthful of nuts.

  “You know what?” Nova said, looking all around and behind her, seeing that they were all alone. “I feel pretty gross after a few days without a shower. I’m going to take a bath.” Squatting down, Nova began looking through her pack for a small bottle of natural and biodegradable liquid castile soap.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Piggy conferred. Nova was already peeling out of her clothes, all while holding a small bottle in her hands. Piggy then secured her back of trail mix back in her pack and followed Nova’s lead.

  Without a hint of shame or embarrassment, Nova was quickly naked. And moving into the stream, that flowing water cooling her skin, she carefully traipsed out into the middle of the river where it would be the deepest. Piggy watched her with a curious smile, seeing her ass move up and down with each cautious step. At one point, Nova looked back and gave Piggy a smile. Then she waved to her friend to join her.

  Pulling off her own clothes, Piggy followed Nova into the river. At its middle, the river was only about knee-height. But it was deep enough for them to sit down in as though it were a bath. Nova reveled in it with a long, heavy sigh, and she leaned back so as to let the water roll over her head and wet her hair, her breasts peeking out over the current.

  “I needed this,” mused Nova happily. “It feels incredible. Oh my God.” Nova was almost moaning, the water felt so good.

  “It’s great,” Piggy concurred, sitting close to her friend in the stream. She took the small bottle of soap from Nova, popped the top, and squirted some into her hands. After handing the bottle back, she stood up, exposing her nude body, and used the soap to begin lathering herself up. Nova remained seated and she watched with a curious smile.

  Piggy turned to face Nova as she rubbed the lather through her blonde bush. She grinned.

  “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Piggy teased. Nova laughed.

  “I left my phone back on the bank,” Nova replied. Piggy shrugged.

  “Oh well,” she said.

  Nova then stood up and mirrored Piggy, squirting some liquid soap into her hands and beginning to wash herself as well. The two of them stood there together, bare and exposed out in the wilderness, just them and nature. There was a slight worry about being caught, about some other hikers approaching the bank and seeing them, but it takes a certain type of person to attempt an adventure like this and that type of person was more likely to join them in a bath than anything else.

  Dropping down, Piggy dunked herself back in the water to wash the soap off and Nova soon followed. They splashed up the water onto themselves and rinsed off, both hovering in the stream with their chests exposed. After a few moments, Nova looked up at Piggy, still smiling, and caught Piggy’s eyes.

  Nova moved closer to her friend, so close that they were almost touching. Then, without another word, Nova leaned in and pressed her lips to Piggy’s. It took no prodding at all to get Piggy to return the kiss, and the girls remained there half-submerged in the river for some time, just kissing one another eagerly, with their fingers wrapping around each other’s bodies in a handsy embrace.

  Once their kiss slowly came to an end, they stared into one another’s eyes for some time, just smiling happily and easily. The only sound was the water rushing past them. Then, Piggy stood up, fully revealing herself once more, and she reached a hand down to Nova. Nova accepted it, Piggy pulled her up, and the two walked hand-in-hand back to the river bank to dry off, get dressed, and continue their journey.

  Although the remainder of that day’s hike was arduous, the girls took it all in stride and maintained great spirits. Something magical changed after their kiss in the river. Although they didn’t really speak about it, question it, try to explain it, the kiss had opened up an entire new dimension of their friendship and their closeness with one another. They touched a lot more on those ensuing miles, they held hands, and they even stopped a few times and kissed again.

  Even though they had a slow uphill climb over five miles, taking them up over a thousand feet in elevation, it didn’t feel like a slog. Just being together made it easy and enjoyable. It was cloudy overhead, and a subtle mist could be felt as they ascended, but no drizzle could bring them down. Piggy and Nova had found their real connection.

  Further on still, tackling another seven or so miles, the girls ascended their way up twenty-five hundred feet of elevation, pressing toward the summit of White Cap Mountain. Piggy revealed that White Cap would be the highest point of their trip, here on day three, and afterwards it would be all downhill from there. This knowledge relieved Nova, and she grinned joyfully. Both of them were having some feet ache issues, but knowing that they would be descending from now on made Nova feel just that much better.

  The last mile or so of their climb up White Cap Mountain took almost an hour, but they arrived feeling both accomplished and exhausted just after five in the early evening. The clouds and the mist had cleared during their ascent, while the sun was beginning its own movement down the horizon. Finally reaching the summit, Piggy and Nova dropped their packs to the ground and began to look around.

  “Oh my God,” said Nova softly, her green eyes wide as they took in the views. From this point where they stood, they could see for hundreds of miles in all directions. They were surrounded on all sides by dense forests and glorious mountain peaks. The sky was enormous and open, some blue peeking through the rollicking clouds. The sun burned deep in the firmament, painting the skyline with various shades of orange and yellow.

  “Wait,” said Piggy excitedly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. After quickly unfolding it, she looked down into it and read its contents.
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br />   Nova was still wide-eyed and blown away by the vastness of all that was in front of her. She looked back and forth between Piggy and the sky.

  “Okay,” Piggy said, beginning to motion with her hand. “That’s south, the way we came. Supposedly we can see two hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail from here.”

  “Wow,” mused Nova, following Piggy’s descriptions with her eyes.

  “Right here,” continued Piggy. “That’s Little Spencer Mountain, and Big Spencer Mountain.”

  “I see ‘em,” Nova said, eyes focused, offering a nod.

  “And there,” Piggy said with finality. “That’s Mount Katahdin. The highest mountain in Maine. It’s name means ‘the greatest mountain.’ It’s over fifty-two hundred feet high and it’s the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.”

  “Jeez,” replied Nova. It was obvious she was overwhelmed. “Is it the highest point of the AT?”

  “No,” said Piggy. “That’s Clingmans Dome in the Smokies. It’s like over six and a half thousand feet, I believe.”

  “It’s so beautiful,” mused Nova, changing her views and looking all around her. “It’s all so beautiful. This is insane, Piggy. This is just… I can’t stand it.” Nova began to tear up and she quickly wiped at her eyes. She was completely overcome with emotion.

  The world seemed to stretch on forever from their vantage point, a vast natural beauty that was impossible to comprehend. It made Nova feel small and insignificant, but it also made her feel powerful and purposeful and impenetrable. In that moment, she truly was on top of the world.

  “It’s okay,” said Piggy with a caring smile. She moved up closer to Nova and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in tight. Nova put her own arm around Piggy’s back and returned the embrace, resting her head on Piggy’s shoulder but not daring to take her eyes off the view.

  They stood together for some time, just absorbing everything they could. Nova felt her heart steady and her emotions calm, and a big smile came to her face. After another moment or so, the girls were kissing, pressing firm up against one another, hands gripping to shirts. The kiss was slow and sensual, a meaningful communion that encapsulated everything they had been through so far together. The sun continued its way down the enormous sky, as Piggy and Nova loved each other on that high mountain top.